November 14, 2011

• The First Principle and Foundation

  

  It seems like there wasn’t a great deal of interest regarding baptism! But that’s OK; this blog isn’t about me! If anyone does end up wanting to know more about Catholic thought regarding baptism, please feel free to message me.

  Here’s a more basic post that I hope will be more helpful or at least more interesting.

  St. Ignatius of Loyola, besides being famous for founding the Society of Jesus (a.k.a. the Jesuits) is also well-known for a great gift to the spiritual life of the Church: the Spiritual Exercises. The basic goal of the Exercises is, in his own words, is that “…just as taking a walk, journeying on foot, and running are bodily exercises, so we call Spiritual Exercises every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their removal, of seeking and finding the will of God in the disposition of our life for the salvation of our soul.” In other words, the Exercises seeks to help a person better know, love and follow Jesus, helping them to make Him the primary goal of their life, to let their desire to love and serve Him be the inspiration and end of every choice they make. There are many ways of making the Exercises, be it over the course of a year, an 8-day retreat or, as it was intended originally, a 30-day silent retreat (yeah, it’s awesome). 

  The text of the Exercises itself is not meant to be read and pondered but rather it serves as a guide for one giving the retreat as a director. It is basically St. Ignatius’s notes on how to give the retreat to someone and various things to keep in mind. But, as with anything written by a saint, it is full of gems.

  In this post I wanted to offer a short bit that utterly changed my life. I’ve already posted in the past what it taught me (or, in hindsight, began to teach me), so I offer it to you now in the hope that it will be something worth pondering. The following is meant to be the underlying principle upon which the rest of the Exercises is built, the grounding and starting point of the whole thing.

   

  23. THE FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

  Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.

  The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created.

  Hence, man is to make use of them in as far as they help him in attainment of his end, and he must rid himself of them in as far as they prove a hindrance to him.

  Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, as far as we are allowed free choice and are not under any prohibition. Consequently, as far as we are concerned, we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life. The same holds for all other things. 

  Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we are created.

   

  Hopefully you can see what a profound statement this makes! For example, if our created purpose is to praise, reverence and serve God, how does that affect the way you are living your life right now? What are things in your life that are hindering you from fulfilling your created purpose, and what things can help you? What things in your life grant you the freedom to live your created purpose, and which things bind or imprison you?

  • 3:24 pm
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